Fire-brick construction for locomotive fire boxes



June 19, 1928. I 1,674,241

, P. H. CONNIFF FIRE BRICK CONSTRUCTION FOR ocomomvn FIRE BOXES Filed Deb. 19,, 192;

Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITE res PHILIP H. conmrr, or 's'r. AUGUSTINE, rLoRIDA;

rinnnrtroxconsrnuorrou Eon Loco'lvrorrvr: FIRE BOXES.

' ZApplicationfiled December 10,1924. Serial No. 754,890.

My invention relates generally to improvements in firebrick construction for 10- comotive fireboxes but relates more particu larly to firebrick construction adapted for use in locomotive fireboxes equipped with water circulating elements. There are I in use in locomotive fireboxes water circulating elements of which the well-known Nicholson thermic siphon is the best example." These circulating elements extend from the throat sheet upwardly and rearwardly. In use'the lower edge or bottom portionof the water circulating element is the first to give way, thus'necessitating repair or replacement of the watercirculating element. This earlier failure of the lower bottom portion no doubt results from the fact that such portions are closer to the fire and therefore are subjected to more intense heat as well as the more forcible impingement'of the fiames and the products of combustion. In any event, whatever may be the reason such portions are the first toigive way under actual condi tions.

The general object of provide means'for lengthening-the life of such firebox. water circulating and steaming elements. I

and steaming. element that theelementwill,

wear out substantiallyuniformly throughout and thereby extend the effective life of the entire element. I I

Again 'I aim tojprovide or desired construction. p

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide a construction which shall notonly protect the water circulating and steaming elements against premature destruction but shall also form a fire arch adapted to assist in the-combustion of the fuel.

My invention consists generally in a deviceof the form, arrangement, construction and co-operation ofv theparts, whereby the.

above named objects,'together with others that will appear hereinafter, are attainable, and my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompany ing drawings which illustrate what I sens my invention is; to

It is also an'object of my inventionto sider, atthe present time, to be the preferred embodiment thereof. v

In said drawings: vFig. 1 is; a vertical longitudinal central sectional view through a locomotive boiler firebox equipped with a device embodying my invention.

f Fig. 2 is a sectional view substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1,- a portion of, the

firebox being broken away because of lack of space.v I

' Flg. is a detail. sectional viewsubstan- .tially-alongthe line 3+3 of Fig 1. V p F'g. L's adetail sectional view substan- -tiallyalong the line 4-4 of Fig.1, and

,Iig., 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional is not shown but which is arranged at the forward end .of the. combustion chamber 10'.

While a firebox of. the combustion chamber type is shown, this, it should be understood,

is by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

- Spaced from the. firebox sheet's will be view j similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating '.a' modified construction.

found theusual wrapper, to wit, the top .plate 11,.the side plates 12, the outside throat plate 13 and theback plate 14.

The wrapper with the fire sheet form the several water legs of the boiler,.to wit, the I p I front water leg or throat 15, the side legs means for, pro-;- 'tecting .watercirculating elements which means shall be simple, inexpensive,: easily applied and-adapted to fireboxes of usual omitted from the. firebox as they form no 16- 16- and the back water leg 17, all of which, are closed at the bottom by the mud ring 18. j l

The grates or other devices have been part of the invention, but-it will be understood that if it is a coal burning locomotive the grates willbe arranged generally along the line 19, whereas if it is an oilburning iglocomotivethebottom oftheifirebox will be I appropriately formed and the oil burner usually arranged below I the line 19. In either event, there is generated a flame which impinges, on its way to the fiues,with great J force andintensity upon the lower portion ;of..the water steaming and circulating 'ele; ,ments about to be described and which is responsible .for the, earlier destraetion of jsuchportions; I

The water circulating and steaming elements are the well-known 'Ni'cholsontherinic siphons, and need not therefore/be described in detail. Suffice it to say that they are generally triangularly shaped i-hollow mem bers which are connected to conduct water from the water'leg to the space '7abovethe crown sheet 7 Two Nicholson thermic siphons are shown at but this, it should be understood, is by way of illustration and not by way o'fl'imitation, asthenumbermay be more or less depending upon the characteristics of the particular firebox, Each siphon, 'as'sh'own, is composed of an upwardly and rearwardly inclined tubular "bottom or neck portion 21 and a substantially triangular body portion 22 which is composed of the'par'allel side sheetpportions 231 which merge into the lower bulge portion 24 probably best shown in Fig. 4; "The bulge ortion 24 is substantially a continuation of the" tubular "intake neck portion 21. It is this intake neck p'ortion'and the lower bulg-' ing and contiguous portion of the siphons thatis subjected to the greatestimpingin'g I action ofthe flames and products of combustion and which is the ortion' in use which is first to give way. hisflimpinging "action is particularly severe in oil'burning "locomotives of certain types, but also occurs .to'a' greater or lesser degree in otherlocomo- "tive boilers, irrespective of 'the character of the fuel used.

,In order toprotect such portions of 'the lsip'hon against these destructive forces I- provide a fire brick structure of novelcharacter. i

Thus along the intakeneck portion'of the siphon Ilprovide complementary bricks 25, each of which is, provided w'ith a substan- "tially semi-cylindrical concavity 26 so that when placed inpositi'on they surround the intake neck, the faces 27 thereof substanjtially meeting.

can be prevented from lateral separation they will be supported by the siphon not-- withstanding the severe jarring and jolting action which obtains in locomotive practice,

To this end I have built an archof firebric'k between the firebox side sheets and't'he siphon and where there is morethan one sip hon ,(asfin the instant case) also between; respective siphons. Thus supported g-th side sheets-6 in any suitablema'nnei" as for example, by means of metalliclugs I 28, welded to the-side sheets, are side brick 29 which extend upwardly and inwardly into mutually leaning contact with "the :bricks 30, the lower inner ends of which come into supporting engagement with the adjacent siphon engag ng brick'members25.'

This construction causes the bricks 29 and 30' to exert a considerable forcetending to hold the brick 25 against the contiguous portion ence character 25 p I It should be obvious that when the bricks 25 are so positioned if they of the siphon and therefore prevent any such looseness as would permitthem to vibrate or chatter to a detrimental extent under the be easily accomplished;

Better to support the engaging portion 'ofthe bricks-30 and 31 I prefertoprovide the bricks 125 with ledge portions 32.

Those 'brick which engage the bulge portion 2410f the siphon are similar tofthe brick 25 and have therefore been given the referv The upper portion of the brick "25 however, do not extend sub stanti'allyto the medial line of the siphon as in the bricks 25 but are cut away to conform to the side wall's 23' ofathe siphon body.

In other respects they are the'same, i

In Fig-5 Ihave-shown a modification in which the siphon engaging brick are provided with bevel faces'25 with which the ends 30 and '31, of'suitably formedfibrick taking the place of the bricks-3O and 31, abut. This construction form's a ;wedg'ing action with respect to all of the-bricks.

The many advantages of my invention will now be understood without further comment-bythose skilled in the art to'which it' relates.

I claim: 9 v e v '1. A locomotive firebox havingside sheets and a water circulating and steaming element spaced therefromin combination with a firebrick arch extending from-side sheet to side sheet, said firebrick arch being com posed of complementarybrick which 'coninc tact the lower-'portion of the water circulatin'g andsteaining element and venclose the bottom thereof, at least one of said :comjpl'emen'tary bricks being held in place by 'aplurality of'upwardl'y extending brick having'mutually leaning contact one with the other at one end and one thereof engaging the side heet while the other engages the complementary 'brick, said complementary brick havinga portion inclined to the vertical plane and'forming a 'seat for the last mentioned brickin engagement with it.

2; A- locomotive firebox having sidesheets and a plurality 'of' water circulating and steaming'elements spaced'from'the side sheet and Ztromea'ch other in combination with -a' firebrick arch extending from-side sheet to side sheet, said arch being formed of complerhentary brick arranged upon oppo site sides of the water circulating and steaming elements and having portions which ex tend under the bottom of the elements together with brick extending between the side sheets and the nearest element engaging bricks, and other brick extending between the element engaging brick that are posiset my hand, this 1st day of'December, 1924;.

PHILIP H. CONNIFF; 

